‘Come on,” she muttered, twisting further and wincing. “Stupid thing.”

    I took a step back, figuring I should probably leave instead of watching her undress like a creep. But the way she was struggling made me feel like an asshole for leaving. She had clearly been struggling with the corset by herself all this time. I couldn’t just walk away when she obviously needed help.

    Before I could second–guess myself, I pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

    “Need help?”

    E spun around, eyes going wide. A flush crept up her neck.

    “Alexander. I thought you were… I thought you had business.”

    “I did. It’s finished.” The lie came easily. “You look like you’re having trouble.”

    She nced back at the mirror, then at me, uncertainty written all across her face. Finally, she sighed. “I can’t reach theces. They’re too high up.”

    “Turn around.”

    She slowly turned to face the mirror, moving her hair over her shoulder and presenting her back to me. Her pale skin and the sight of the beautiful nape of her neck practically made my mouth water.

    I stepped closer, close enough to smell the lingering scent of roses in her hair and the faint vani of her perfume. My fingers found the top of theces, and I began working them loose, one eyelet at a time.

    E was perfectly still as I worked, but I could see her watching me in the mirror.

    “There,” I said quietly as the first few inches ofcing came free. “Better?”

    She nodded, but when she reached behind her to continue on her own, her arms still didn’t reach.

    So I continued working my way down, my knuckles asionally brushing against the smooth skin of her back through the gaps in thecing. Eachce was fucking torture. My wolf howled in my mind, begging me to take her right then and there, and it was hell trying to hold him back and focus on the task.

    Halfway down, the corset began to loosen significantly. The bodice of her dress sagged slightly, revealing more of that perfect

    skin.

    My fingers had started to tremble slightly. Just a few more eyelets and she’d be able to step out of the corset entirely.

    It would be so easy to slide my hands around her waist, to turn her in my arms and kiss her the way I’d been wanting to all night. To peel that dress off her body and carry her to bed.

    She was my mate. My wife. The mother of my child. I had every right to touch her, to im her, to make love to her until neither of us could think straight.

    But I also had every reason to doubt her.

    My hands stilled on thest set ofces. In the mirror, I could see E’s face, flushed and expectant, lips slightly parted. With a deep inhale, her breasts strained against the top of her bodice, and…

    Dammit.

    I loosened the finalces and stepped back, sping my hands behind me to keep myself from touching her.

    “There. You should be able to manage the rest.”

    E blinked, as ifing out of a trance. “Thank you.”

    I turned around, giving her privacy to slip out of the dress. Behind me, I heard the whisper of silk against skin, then the soft rustle of fabric hitting the floor.

    Goddess fucking damn me straight to Hell, I thought, biting the inside of my cheek. She was undressed. Probably in somecy negligee or something. Or perhaps just panties and nothing else.

    But no matter how much I wanted to turn around, I kept my eyes fixed on the window until I heard her footsteps cross the room.

    The bathroom door clicked shut, and a momentter, the shower turned on.

    Only then did I allow myself to move, sinking onto the edge of the bed and burying my face in my hands.

    This was going to kill me.

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